[themaclad]

While aware that it may take some time for ideas to be fully implemented, Paul Heckingbottom has been pleased with the early work he’s been able to do with his new side ahead of Saturday’s game against Luton Town.

Since being appointed on Tuesday, Hecky has had two days with his North End squad on the training pitch, with another to follow shortly after doing his pre-match interview on Friday.

A lot of that time out on the grass has been spent focusing on tactical elements of the game, tailored to how the boss feels Luton Town will look, which he described as a “really specific way of playing”.


Speaking about his team, Hecky said: “I’ve been pleased. Listen, you don’t just click your fingers and things change. We know it’s a process and it’ll take some time, but I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for themselves.

“We’re going to lose games of football, but it’s our job to make sure we win more than we lose and make sure we set the team up and approach the game, no matter who we play, to try and win the game.

“I can accept losing, but we have to play a certain way. We have to make sure that everything we do is positive, everything we do is aggressive, everything we do is to try and score goals or win the ball back.”

All the new gaffer and assistant Stuart McCall – along with the existing coaching staff – will want to do, is to get their messages across as effectively as possible, as soon as they can.


However, given that they’ve come into the job in a three-game week, a bit of prioritising has taken place in terms of what information they’ve tried to pass on to the lads for these fixtures.

The manager said: “Obviously it’s been full on and intense, and I think it will be until the window closes really and we have that international break. I’m expecting that; I know what it’s going to be like.

“The problem or the good thing or the issue is that we have three games in this hectic schedule so there’s a lot for me and the staff to be going on with, but we have to prioritise these games, while we’re doing all the other bits that go on in the transfer window.

“When you’re first through the door there’s a lot of things you want to say so the decisions are around how much information are you giving, and who needs what based on the games that are coming up.

“We’re obviously prioritising the next game in front and hopefully we can start doing a lot more in that international break.”

One thing which seems pretty clear is that Hecky will be flexible in the way his side line up, adapting at times to the opposition, while also staying true to “our way” of playing.

He said: “It’s always about us and how we play, but then you focus on elements of the performance which are going to be really important against Luton and that’ll change.

“It’ll all be about us but then what do we have to focus on against Harrogate, so over time you revisit tactical elements of your game, but we don’t want to be changing.

“For example, when we play against a back four we’ll play a certain way, when we play against a back five we’ll play a certain way, but that’ll be our way. There’ll be subtle changes within what we do all the time every game.”